


In Hiding

by John5mith



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Pre-Movie(s), Rated Explicit for later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-06-10 00:59:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6931477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John5mith/pseuds/John5mith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unable to defend his own mother against her own dark secret, Senator Ben Amidala was forced to sit and watch as she resigned in disgrace. And now with threats levied against him and his fellow Senators, the two of them are forced to return to Ben's homeworld of Naboo so they can lay low.</p><p>Charged with protecting the Senator by Chancellor Mon Mothma, Lieutenant Hux thinks this will be another simple job, but when he meets Senator Amidala, he realizes this will be anything but easy for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ben tried to remain calm, to stay in his seat and behave like his mother had taught him. To abide, and keep quiet until precisely the right moment. When those you argued against could be backed into a corner. The only problem now was that there was no corner here, the fight was lost and this was her resignation speech. And now all he could do was sit and wait. 

He stared at her image, though in reality she was just a hundred feet away, standing on the steps of the Senate building. _“It is with a heavy heart that I step down from my position.”_ She glanced at the words so carefully prepared by a team of people expected to make her sound as sympathetic as possible, and then she looked up. Even from here Ben could see the look in her eyes, and what that meant. _“But I want everyone to know that this was not my decision.”_

Ben smiled. _Of course._ He thought to himself. 

_“This decision has been made by people who I thought I could consider my friends, my closest allies. One of whom even worked alongside my adoptive-father, during the formation of the Empire and the first days of the Rebellion that destroyed it.”_

The press was talking amongst themselves now, people shocked at the words. Though truth be told, Ben would’ve been more surprised had she gone quietly. The camera panned to show the face of Chancellor Mon Mothma, though they’d never get any sort of reaction out of her. One of the woman’s greatest skills was remaining steadfast in all forms of adversity. A talent Ben desperately wished he could hone. 

_“But I can assure you, my work is not done here. And nothing is going to stop me. Not my former fellow senators, not Chancellor Mothma, and certainly not the dark legacy of a man who claimed to be my father.”_ The crowd was silent at the slightest hint of Vader. _“Thank you.”_

Cameras flashed, people raised their hands, shouting questions they would never get the answer to, not from Leia Organa at least. Just a few minutes later she was coming through the door, the long tail of her blue dress following her into the lounge.

“That certainly was something.” Ben kept his eyes on the screen replaying the event in it’s entirety now, his gloved hands firmly behind his back.

“It’ll give em’ something to talk about.” Leia rested her hands on the back of a large velvet chair. 

“I wish you’d let me be there with you.”

“This has already cost me my position, no reason to give them a reason to suspect you’re involved in this somehow.”

“We’ve been allies in the Senate for two years now. I think we’re safe.”

“Still we-” Leia opened her mouth to say something else, but Senator Casterfo was right behind her. 

“Do you want to tell me what the hell that was?” He stormed his, his hands clenched, his face impossibly red. 

“That was my resignation speech.” Leia said matter-of-factly. 

“That was not what we agreed you’d say.” 

“Senators please.” Mon Mothma walked in, her guards close behind. Even in the privacy of her friends her movements were so smooth they almost felt planned, her words so carefully constructed. She was a politician through and through. “Let’s keep this civil.” She smiled. 

“You’re right. It’s not.” Leia said to Casterfo. “I felt like I should take a few creative liberties.” 

Casterfo looked at Ben. “And you support this way of thinking? Why are you smiling?”

“I haven’t said a word.” Ben muttered, unable to hold back a grin. 

Mothma shot a glance at Ben and then back at Leia. “I’m going back to my office, and I’d like to talk to you both in private.”

“Chancellor? How can you celebrate this way of thinking?” Casterfo stammered. 

“Oh I’m not celebrating it, and I plan on giving Leia quite the scolding.”

“I’m going back home.” Leia said.

“Senator… Misstress Organa.” Ben said. It had already been difficult learning not to call her ‘mother’, now he needed to forget the ‘senator’ as well. “Perhaps we should meet with the Chancellor instead.”

Leia rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

“Thank you Senator Amidala.” Mother turned. 

“Thank you Chancellor.” Ben gave her a short bow. 

“I don’t know how I tolerated this business for so long.” Leia said once they were alone. 

“I don’t think ‘tolerate’ is the right word” Ben placed a solemn hand on her shoulder and they began to walk through the same door Chancellor Mothma had gone through.

“You’re probably right.” She grinned.

“Can you say that again, I want to record it for dad.” 

“Very funny.”

Ben smiled brightly. “I can only dream of what she’s planning on telling us.”

“Oh who knows with her.” They both climbed into the elevator. It was a quick ride to the twentieth floor of the building, the floor designated solely for use by the Chancellor. Her office, bedroom, meeting rooms, rooms for her guests. They were all here. And the only way to access this floor was either with permission from the Chancellor herself, or if you were one of her private guards.

“Let’s get this over with.” Ben flattened out the creases of his robe, ignoring the smirk on his mother’s face. She still liked to tease him, telling him he’d inherited his grandmother’s adoration for needlessly complicated robes and dresses.

_“I’ve seen the holovids and paintings. All you need is some white face paint and red lipstick.”_ She joked while flicking the collar of his robe.

_“That’s just the queen.”_ He corrected. 

_“Whatever you say your highness.”_

The office of the Chancellor was lush, and only made Ben envious when he thought of his own small office. Lush blue carpets, large desk situated in front of a floor to ceiling window that took up the entirety of the wall that looked out onto Hosnian Prime. 

“Your Grace.” Ben bowed politely. 

“Senator Amidala, Mistress Organa.” She nodded towards them both.

“Oh dear, so quick to dismiss me?”

Ben had no doubt Mon Mothma was biting her tongue. She turned to Chur. “I’d like to speak with them in private please.” 

Chur looked reluctant, but she obeyed without protest and bowed, walking around Ben and Leia. 

“What did you wish to speak with us about your highness?”

Mon Mothma stood up from her overly large seat, which resembled a throne more than an actual desk chair, and stared out the window behind her. “Well part of me wants to know what that speech was all about.”

“I think it’s fairly obvious what I intended.” Leia stated.

“You make it sound like you’re plotting some sort of coup against me and the rest of the Senate.”

Leia leaned towards Ben. “You know I wasn’t thinking that, but that’s not a bad idea actually.”

“You tease, but I could actually have you arrested for treason.” She leaned over her desk, all smiles. 

Leia chuckled. “For what it’s worth I’m sorry for the speech. It was over the line.” She walked ahead of Ben, taking one of the chairs in front of Chancellor Mothma’s desk as if she were right at home. 

“Oh I think I can let you have that one. I deserve it.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Leia.”

“What can you do?” Leia crossed her legs, resting her hands on her lap. 

“Whatever I did it wasn’t enough.”

“It was easier for me to resign.”

“This isn’t what I imagined when I started working with your mother.”

“You can’t make people understand something.” Leia said. “You can only present them with the information at hand and hope they can process it. Clearly we put too much faith in this Senate.”

“Clearly. Now onto business. Ben take a seat please.”

Ben obeyed, taking the seat next to his mother. “Is there something wrong Chancellor?”

“Unfortunately yes.” She looked down at her desk, almost as if she were trying to find the right words to say next. “I’ve been informed that there may be a plot forming against you Leia.”

“A plot?” Leia smiled, but Ben could feel her worry, her back straightening. 

“Yes. Against you.” Mothma took her seat again. “And against Ben I fear.”

Ben froze. “Me?”

“As well as other senators that worked closely with you Leia.”

“I… I don’t understand.” Leia rubbed her forehead. 

“My men found someone trying to plant explosives on Ben’s ship. Another assassin was trying to take out Senator Ackbar. Thankfully he was able to lock himself in his home until the authorities arrived.” Mothma spoke as slow and a calmly as she could. 

“The bill?” Ben said under his breath. 

Mothma nodded. “That’s what we think.” Before everything had come out, before Leia had been forced to resign, she, Ben, Ackbar, and a few other Senators were rallying together to put forth a bill that would cut the military spending, and instead reroute government funds that would help planets still reeling from the effects of Imperial control. 

“Seems rather harsh.” Leia said coldly. She’d seen her fair share of obstacles, and an another assassination was hardly anything new for her.

“The military is a very profitable business. Taking away funding from them could lead to financial losses for many investors.”

“So what can we do?” Ben asked. “The Senate won’t reconvene for another week.”

“You won’t have to worry about that. I’m tabling this bill for now.”

Ben stared at her in disbelief, refusing to believe the words she’d just spoken. “Chancellor, this bill-”

A hand silenced him. “When the lives of my friends, my Senate are threatened I have a responsibility to keep them safe.” She gave him the sharp look she reserved for moments like this, moments Ben had hoped he’d never have to face. 

“But then our opponents win.” Ben argued. 

“No, they won’t. If I table it I can halt the opposition, and if that doesn’t work perhaps someone can be persuaded to hold a filibuster. It’s just until things die down Ben.”

Ben leaned back in his seat and let out a long sigh. He should’ve been used to this sort of thing by now. He’d been a Senator for two years, apart of the Nabooian government since he was fifteen. This was politics after all. 

“I know this is difficult, but for now it’s for the best.” Mothma said. 

Leia petted the top of Ben’s hand. “I hate to admit it, but she’s right.”

“At least let us go back to Naboo.”

“Ben-”

“We’ll be safer there. There are safehouses we can use, in the countryside. It’ll be easier than hiding here, where we’re expected.” 

Mothma seemed to consider the words carefully. “I suppose you have a point, but I want to send a team along with you. Some of my personal guard.”

“I have my own guards.”

“Yes, but my guards have been trained to deal with this sort of thing. Besides, should an emergency arise they have a direct line to me.”

“Can you really afford to have so many of your men spread across the galaxy Motham?” Leia asked.

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” She folded her hands together. “I have more than enough guards to spare.”

“We will leave tonight then. Can you get us unregistered transport?” Ben stood up quickly. 

“Yes.”

“I’ll have to talk with Senator Oora. Though he probably won’t be sad about seeing me go.” Ben’s fellow Senator, the representative of the Gungan people on Naboo, hadn’t been very discreet of his disdain for Ben lately. His last comments had included something to the effect of immature, inexperienced, and ill qualified for the position. 

“I will handle Senator Oora. I will have a team escort you back to your homes so that you can pack your things.” Mothma stood up, pressing one of the buttons on the keyboard in front of her. “Lieutenant Hux, General Haste, come in will you?” There maybe half a second of static and then the office door opened. 

Ben stared at the men. Lieutenant Hux was attractive to say the least. Close cropped ginger hair, sharp nose, and even sharper cheekbones. He looked impressive in the dark blue of his guard uniform, foreboding even.

General Haste stood just behind him, dressed in the same style of uniform, her features almost seemed harder. A nose that’d been broken a few times, scar running over her left eye, turning the dark brown skin pale. Her head shaved, though a few days growth of black hair was beginning to show. 

“Chancellor.” Hux bowed, Haste along with him.

“Lieutenant Hux and Commander Haste are two of my finest, they will be in charge of your journey back to Naboo. Hux, I want you to accompany Senator Amidala back to his apartment. Haster, you’ll go with Mistress Organa. Have them ready in my private hangar within the hour.”

“The hour?” Ben smirked, grateful he hadn’t brought much with him to Hosnian Prime. He turned to Lieutenant Hux. “Well, it seems you are to be my protector.”

“I will do my best your grace.” Hux nodded. 

“Please, ‘Senator Amidala’, or better yet ‘Ben’. Save ‘your highness’ for the queen.”

“Yessir. Senator Amidala.”

Ben looked back over his shoulder at Mon Mothma. “I think I’ll like this one.”

“Just go easy on him, he’s one of my best.”

“Are you sure you want to give him away then?”

Mothma only smirked. 

“Come along Hux, I’m curious, how do you feel about carrying my luggage?” Ben walked slowly towards the office door. 

Hux tried to keep his face still, but Ben could feel the slightest change in his emotions, the barest upturn of the corners of his mouth. “Not exactly in my job description, but we’ll see what we can do.”

“Excellent. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senator Amidala and Lieutenant Hux try and pass the time with a game of chess.

Ben stared out the window at the planet before him. Naboo. Growing up it’d been everything for him. His mother had sent him here to train after he left the Jedi Academy. Here he’d learned with the other students, other future politicians. He’d been able to form his own identity as the grandson of Padme Amidala here, rising through the system until the people had voted him their Senator. 

He'd been away for far too long.

“Your turn sir.” Hux’s voice brought him out of the trance.

Ben swiveled in his chair and stared at the holochess table, at first unable to see what move Hux had made. “Have you ever been to Naboo Lieutenant?”

“Can’t say I have sir.” Hux was proving to be more stoic than Ben had anticipated. There wasn’t a moment where he left Ben alone, other than the occasional visit to the refresher. He learned quickly that wherever he went, he was sure to have a red-headed shadow close behind. 

“It’s a rather humid climate, I’m not sure that armor will leave you very comfortable.” Ben pressed on the keypad, directing one of his knights forward and taking another of Hux’s pawns. 

Hux smirked. “Attempting to undress me already Senator?” He made another move, taking out Ben’s knight, getting ever so close to his king. “Coming from a man who wears layers like you do? I think I’ll be fine.”

“I am Nabooian through and through. My body is used to it." Ben moved his bishop closer to the edge of the nearly transparent board. "You know me fairly well.” 

“Given your history it’s rather difficult not to.” Hux took his rook. "Especially with the military."

In his three years as a Senator, Ben had taken a firm stance when it came to the military. Of course he knew it was not without its uses, nor was it inherently evil. But he’d seen how a military could be misused. “I take it you aren’t a fan of my politics?”

“I never said that.” Hux stated.

Ben tried his best to focus on the board, though he was at a loss. Despite all his schooling he’d never had a military mind like his mother. He moved his last rook further back, towards his king.“True, but your tone implied… something.”

“Well given your home it’s rather surprising how often you take a pacifists way.”

“I suppose that’s true, but if every leader whose home suffered hardships like mine has decided to go gungho and throw all their funding into a sizeable military force-”

Hux finished. “They wouldn’t have anything to protect.” He took another of Ben’s pawns. 

Ben nodded, turning away from the window and taking the seat across from Hux. “It’s a fine line we all walk Lieutenant.” Ben leaned back. “Did you ever serve?”

“For a few years. Not that there was much fighting. But I suppose Chancellor Mothma saw something in me.”

“Then I don’t need to ask if you enjoy your work?” He could feel Hux through the Force, a last remnant of unsuccessful years spent training as a Jedi. He was poised, secure in his victory.

That made them both laugh. Ben felt Hux tense up at the _hiss_ of the door to the office opening. “Senator.” One of his servants, his ombre orange tunic standing in stark contrast to the dark grey of the ship’s innards. “Just letting you know we’ll be landing shortly.”

“Thank you Castor.” Ben nodded. 

Hux waited until he heard the door close before he refocused his attention on the game, and moved his knight again. Now there was only a rook standing between him and victory.

“I’ll need to meet with the queen. Tell her what’s going on.”

“I’m guessing this ship doesn’t have a direct line to her?” Hux eyed the office. The ship was so much different from the Nabooian starships Ben was used it. Where those were sleek and clean, this ship was rough around the edges, the outside a brown so ugly that Ben couldn’t decide if it was rust or paint.

“Well I’m sure you’re aware, hologram transmissions are very traceable, even for a queen.”

“Well a throne room isn’t that secretive either.”

“True, that is why we’re meeting in private.” Ben was beginning to think he might have to accept defeat.

“I suppose it would be ideal for her to know where you’re going.” Ben made one final move. “Checkmate.”

Ben chuckled and leaned back in his seat. “I never was any good at this game.”

“Perhaps you just need a little practice.”

“Well I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time for you to teach me.”

“Are you flirting with me Senator?”

“I have been for the past few hours, but thank you for finally noticing.”

Hux smiled, but Ben could feel his tension, see his cheeks turning red. “I’d better go and check on my men.”

“Of course. I should probably go and see what trouble Senator… Mistress Organa has gotten up to.” Ben stood up to follow Hux into the main hull of the ship. 

“You’re quite close with her aren’t you?”

Ben wondered if military training meant Hux could see right through someone’s lies. “Yes, she’s a dear friend.” It was a lie Ben had practiced numerous times. Because of his grandmother he’d been raised in the palaces of Naboo, his real parents long dead. Of course there had been scandal. 

When had Padme Amidala had her children? Who had she married? There were no hospital records, no marriage certificate. Ben and Leia had spent countless hours forming Ben’s life story, along with the help of Chancellor Mothma. And of course they’d been able to conduct the DNA test. “She actually worked alongside my mother and father, and when they died, she helped me find my way. I wouldn’t be Senator if it wasn’t for her.”

“She certainly is quite the woman. The stories about her during the Rebellion…” Hux let out an exasperated laugh and shook his head. “My troops shout her praises, I can only imagine what they’re asking her.”

“‘Quite the woman’.” Ben chuckled. “That might be the most honest description of her I’ve ever heard.” 

They found Leia at the center of Hux’s troops, bottle on amber liquid in one hand, sitting atop a box that held a few of Ben’s spare robes. 

“Entertaining the troops are we Mistress Organa?” Ben asked.

“Just telling a few stories.” She sipped from the bottle. “You’ve got quite the team here Hux.”

“The finest.”

“Well we’re in good hands.”

“We’re going to be landing soon, so men, get to your stations.” Hux’s voice changed from gentle to commanding, something Ben couldn’t even attempt to ignore. 

“I suppose I should get my things as well.” Leia groaned when she stood up, stretching her arms. “You should too Senator Amidala, I can’t imagine how many suitcases you brought with you.” She toyed with the edges of his collar. 

“Very funny Mistress Organa.”

Leia gave him one last glance before she started down the hallway to her room. 

“Well Senator Amidala, until we meet again.” Hux gave a short bow and Ben nodded, dismissing him. He felt the ship rumble under his feet, a sure sign they were reentering the atmosphere of the planet. He was home. He was finally home.

It hadn’t been difficult to choose a place to stay. Naboo boasted thousands of private homes in its lush countrysides, hideaways for occasions such as this, or for families seeking a place to spend a long weekend. The mansion was built along the edge of a lake, resembling an old temple more than anything else, with large open rooms that would let the Naboo air drift in. 

Though it would never compare to his own apartment. His own bed, his own warm blankets, his own kitchen. Ben was starting to regret letting Chancellor Mothma talking him into this. 

“You alright?” 

He hadn’t felt Leia come enter the room, which was strange. Her hand pressed to the small of his back. 

“Just tired.”

“Get used to it kid, it doesn’t get any easier.”

Ben let out something that sounded like a sigh and a laugh. 

“You also might want to keep a cooler head around this Hux guy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Please, I know that look in your eye.”

“I’m just being considerate.”

“You considerate?” Leia teased. “I can’t imagine such an idea.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “It’s just a bit of fun.” He moved towards the window. The deep dark of space had begun to fade into the familiar light blue Naboo sky. They dropped slowly into the clouds, and in an instant, Ben could see the lush forests, the capital city of Theed in the distance, the swamps of the Gungan people. “It’s not like I’m going to have my way with him or anything.”

“Whatever you say kid. Just remember that we’re only here for a few weeks.”

Ben scoffed. He could feel the landing gears folding out underneath the ship, the low growl of the engine as it slowed. The ship landed smoothly, the dark tiled floors of the private hangar shining underneath them.

“What are we doing here?” Leia asked.

“I need to meet with the Queen. Don’t worry, I’m going to send you and the guards ahead to the safe house.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes.” Ben said solemnly.

The queen was already waiting for them. Or the queen’s decoy. Ben knew the face of Queen Amila far too well to be fooled by her handmaidens. The true queen stood just to her left, his right. But he bowed regardless and put on the act. “Your highness.” He bowed.

“Senator Amidala. I must admit I was quite surprised to receive word you were returning so soon.” Her voice was monotone, warped just like she’d been trained to make it sound. It made it harder to discern which of the maidens was actually playing the role that day. 

Ben noticed her guards eyeing Chancellor Mothma’s soldiers suspiciously. “Your highness, this is Lieutenant Hux, and General Haste. A few of Chancellor Mothma’s personal protectors. They have been charged with protecting me while I stay here.”

“Your Highness.” Hux spoke calmly and they both bowed.

She gave them a quick nod in return. “I have no doubt you will keep my friend here safe.” She smiled, a crack in the disguise, but in the privacy of the hangar no one was there to notice.

“Lieutenant, General.” Ben turned to the two officers. “If I may I’d like to speak to the queen privately. Can you escort Mistress Organa to the ship?”

“I’ll do it.” Haste said. She looked at Hux. “You stay with the Senator.”

“Oh that won’t be necess-” Ben began, but one look from Haste told him he didn’t have the option. He said instead: “Thank you Lieutenant, General.”

Haste turned on her heel, her soldiers and Leia following close behind her, exchanging the old junker for a Nabooian skiff. Ben fell into step beside the queen, Hux right behind him. “We can talk in here.”

They followed the entourage down a short hallway to an empty meeting room. Please wait out here.” She told her guards. “We shouldn’t be long.” The guards bowed and took their spots on either side of the door. Inside none of them bothered sitting down.

“I’m guessing this has something to do with your unannounced arrival.” 

Ben nodded. “Chancellor Mothma informed me of a possible assassination attempt me, as well as the others supporting Senator Ackbar’s anti-military bill.”

“Always the subject of so much controversy aren’t you Senator Amidala?”

“That seems to be the norm in our line of work.”

“Where will you be staying?”

“We’ve selected one of my grandmother’s old safehouses. The deed is registered under a pseudonym she never used publicly, so we think it will be safe.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. Records show it was only ever used once, just before the Clone Wars began. Queen Jamila let her keep it in case she ever needed to use it again. My mother and father never used it either apparently.”

“Alright. If at all possible, send a transmission every now and again.” She swept the overly long sleeve of her dress away from her hand and handed Ben a small hologram projector. “The signal for this device is encoded. It can only be used to contact me, and only I can contact it.”

“Thank you your highness.” Ben bowed.

“You’re welcome Senator. Now, run along and get comfortable. Lieutenant Hux, it was nice to meet you.” She smiled, which was surprising. “Protect my friend here. He’ll need it.”

“I’m quite capable of taking care of myself thank you.” Ben sounded annoyed, but he smiled regardless. 

“I’ve seen you fight Senator.” She turned back to Hux. “If he ever gets his hands on a blaster, watch out. A blind man could shoot better than he does.”

“I prefer a sword. A finer weapon compared to your blasters.”

“I wouldn’t give him a sword either.” She half-whispered to Hux. He covered his mouth the back of his hand, stifling a chuckle. 

“Come on Hux. Don’t want to keep Haste or Mistress Organa waiting.”

“It was nice to meet you your highness.” Hux bowed one last time.

“Likewise Lieutenant.” 

Ben only spoke again when he heard the door close. “She liked you.”

“I’m sure she acts that way around everyone.”

“Trust me, she doesn’t. You’d better be careful Hux. That fine skin, that red hair, the Naboo will be all over you.”

“Does that include the Gungans?”

Ben laughed. “Would you like it to?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux discovers something about Ben.

It hadn’t taken long for Ben to become bored. There was only so much one could do in a safehouse, a short list of things he was told wouldn’t attract attention. Reading, games of chess. Even things so mundane as just sitting outside or going on the beach for more than half an hour had been forbidden. Some nonsense about never knowing which ships could be flying overhead. He rapped his knuckles on the hardwood table. 

Not even his mother could keep things interesting. Unbeknownst to them, there had been two safehouses reserved instead of the planned one. So now there was a lake standing between them. Ben supposed he could use the underground tunnel that connected the house to all the others in the area, but that would only draw more attention, and more than likely result in a lecture from Hux.

“That man.” Ben whispered to himself. 

It’d taken just one night for Ben to determine that Hux didn’t play many games when it came to the safety of his troops, or the people he’d been charged with protecting. One night, when Ben couldn’t sleep, he had walked out into the open courtyard, the large archways opening up over the lake. He wasn’t sure how long he’d sat there, watching the moon move slowly across the nearly black sky, the tiny stars surrounding it. 

But after a while Hux had found him. He hadn’t been angry with Ben, but had lead to a speech about sneaking off, about not telling Hux where he was going, about the dangers of being outside for extended periods of time.

Ben had almost been too tired to listen, and even now he was nearly convinced it’d been a dream. Finally, Ben stood up and walked back to his room. It was approaching noon, and he hadn’t been outside all day, which meant he’d earned at least a little time out on the balcony. He grabbed the tablet he kept on his bedside table, there had to be _something_ he could work on. A document that needed to be fine-tuned, or maybe messages that he could look at. Not that he could answer them, even Senate Security had it’s flaws, and responding to the wrong message at the wrong time could tell whoever was hunting Ben exactly where he was. 

“Interesting reading?”

Ben jumped, his tablet falling to his bed, narrowly avoiding the hard stone floors underneath. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

Ben turned to eye Hux, leaning against the entryway of the bedroom. He was surprised to see the Lieutenant actually dressed down. Tight sleeveless shirt with the insignia of his company emblazoned over his heart, even tighter black pants decorated with a single red stripe down the side of both legs. Even his hands were covered with strange white wrappings. 

“You didn’t scare me.” Ben protested. “I was startled.”

“But of course.”

“I’m surprised to see you out of your armor.” Ben picked up the tablet carefully, tucking it into the pocket of his robes. “I was beginning to believe you were just a head attached to a cybernetic body.”

“The ultimate killing machine.” Hux chuckled. “I was about to train a little, just wanted to check up on you before I went downstairs.”

Ben swallowed. “Well I’m fine, thank you.” He should’ve been used to Hux’s check-ups by now. They happened once every hour while Ben was awake, and twice an hour at night. Really, Ben was beginning to wonder when this man slept. 

“You’re training? I doubt you actually need it.” Ben tried not to stare at Hux’s bare arms, the tight muscles they showed off, the way he could see the faintest trace of Hux’s abdomen through the tight tank top.

Hux laughed again. “Never hurts. How am I supposed to protect you if I get rusty?”

“A fair point. I’d be useless in a fight.”

“You don’t know how to fight?”

“I can fire a blaster, but that’s all I’ve really needed. I try not to find myself in many situations where I need to punch someone.” Though in truth he did have more experience than that. Of course it wasn’t as if he could whip out a lightsaber, but Luke had taught him the basics of hand-to-hand before Ben left the Temple.

“You never know Senator. What if someone kicked your blaster _way_ across the room.”

“Then I’d be a dead Senator.” Ben teased, but Hux didn’t laugh.

“Were you busy?” He asked.

“I was just going to work on things, but nothing too urgent.”

“Good, come with me.”

“And just where are you taking me?” Asked Ben, though the idea was already forming in his head. 

“You’ll see.” With that Hux disappeared down the hall.

There was no designated training area inside the safehouse. These were homes, used more often than not, by diplomats that had no use for them. But the half of Hux’s brigade that had come with him had commandeered one of the empty offices in the basement. The desks had been moved into a storage area across the hall, the bookshelves emptied, weights and machines left in the corners of the room. And in the middle, a large sandbag, surely taller than Ben, hung from the rafters of the ceiling. 

“Quite the makeover.” Ben remarked. 

“Sorry. Madame Organa gave us the go-ahead but I should’ve asked you as well.”

“It’s no problem.” Ben pushed lightly on the bag, watching it waver back and forth on the tight black wire it hang from. He pressed his fist against it. It was tougher than he’d expected, the tightly packed sand inside firm against his hand. 

“We won’t be using that.” Hux grinned. Instead he walked over to one of the large cabinets and took out a large figure. Well, most of a figure anyway. It didn’t have arms, and below the waist was a large black rod that connected it to the base. Other than that, and the alabaster skin, it looked human enough. The face masculine, eyes hollowed out. Even this training dummy proved to be taller than Ben. 

“That thing is hideous.” Ben said, crossing his arms. 

“It doesn’t have to be pretty.” Hux patted the dummy’s shoulder. “You’re the one who’s going to be hitting it.”

Ben touched the dummy. It was softer than the sand-bag, but still firm. He couldn’t decide if the fact that it felt nearly exactly like human skin was eerie or not. “Seriously?”

“You need to know how to fight. At least a few moves.”

“I don’t think I’m dressed quite appropriately.” Ben eyed his robes. At least they were a thin material, keeping him cool in the Naboo humidity, but this was clearly not the sort of outfit one needed to wear.

“Here.” Hux grabbed a bag in the corner of the room, tossing Ben a pile of clothes. “I’ll step out while you change.” And he left without giving Ben a chance to protest.

He drowned in Hux’s clothes. The tank top hanging off his slim frame like a curtain. At least the pants had a drawstring, though he could still feel them slowly falling down his waist. He hadn’t been sure what to do with his slippers, so he’d decided to go barefoot, hoping that would be okay. He folded the robes carefully and left them on one of the benches, shoes stacked on top of them. “You can come back in now.” He half-shouted at the door. 

Hux walked back in without any hesitation, taking his stance beside the dummy again. “Okay, so we’re just going to do some basics for today. I want to teach you about weak points you can hit pretty easily. Hits that will take an attacker by surprise.”

“Alright.” Ben ran over what Luke had taught him. Go for the groin, the throat, the nose, and the hands. Aim for kicks at the knee if you can get your footing. 

“It sounds crass, but the easiest place to hit someone is their groin. A swift knee will take anyone down, no matter if they have testees or not.” Hux demonstrated with a quick jerk of his knee. Ben tried not to recoil in surprise, but his body betrayed him.

“Please don’t ever say ‘testees’ again.”

Hux simply laughed and began again. “The throat is a good place too. Here.” He took Ben’s hand and curled it into a fist. Hux was warm, his touch a little shocking to say the least. “Make sure you hold it like that.” He showed Ben. “Or else you’ll end up breaking your thumb.”

“Now.” He continued. “Hit right here.” He pointed to the throat of the dummy. “That’s the larynx. Even if your punch doesn’t have a lot of force behind it, you can still knock the breath out of them.”

“And if I punch harder?”

“If you punch them hard you won’t have to worry about them getting back up.” Hux smirked. “At least for a good while. Here, you try it.”

Ben gave the dummy a swift punch. It rocked back on the magnetic weight that kept it tethered to the floor, the spot that Ben hit glowing an intense red. 

“Nice.” Hux clapped slowly. 

“What does the red mean?”

“The brighter it glows the more intense your hit. I’d say if you hit someone like that they’d be on the floor for a good few minutes.”

“Oh um…” Ben felt his face get hot. “Thanks.”

“Okay, do it few more times.”

Ben played with how hard he punched. He didn’t want to give Hux the idea that he’d done this before. Not that he had of course. 

“Good, good.” Hux finally said after Ben had scored ten hits on the dummy. “Let’s switch it up. The next best place to hit is the nose, right here.” He pointed to the bridge of the dummy’s fake nose. “It’s incredibly easy to break, and makes em’ bleed a lot.”

“A tad bloodthirsty are we?”

“Just a bit.” Hux teased. “Try it.”

Hitting the nose was more awkward, more painful as well. Ben could only bother to hit it a few times before his hand was aching. 

“Try it like this.” Hux was behind him suddenly. His hand on Ben’s back. He pressed forward, begging for Ben to move, correct his stance. He took Ben’s elbow in his other hand, guiding Ben’s fist forward. “You need to be careful. You don’t want to hurt yourself worse than you’re hurting your attacker.” Ben tried not to feel Hux’s heatbeat, to not breathe in his scent, to not watch the way those slim fingers worked around his body. 

“Like this?” Ben made another move, the nose of the dummy glowing brighter than it ever had.

“Excellent”

“My hands hurt.” Ben stared at the knuckles, worn red.

“Yeah, that’ll happen, let me grab-” Hux strode back over to his bag, plucking a roll of white tape from one of the pockets. “Give me your hand.” 

Ben wondered why he’d asked permission this time. He slid his hand into Hux’s and watched as the Lieutenant wrapped the tape around each of his hands. Ben stretched his fingers out reflexively. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Do you want to rest for a little bit?”

“Sure.” Ben walked over to the weight bench and took a seat, stretching his legs out. “So tell me Lieutenant, where are you from?”

“Why do you ask?”

Ben shrugged. “Just curious.”

Hux’s smile widened. “I’m from Coruscant originally, but my family moved to Hosnian Prime when I was young.”

“Was it nice, on Coruscant?”

“I don’t remember a lot. When we left the Imperial Occupation of the planet had just ended. My parents wanted to leave as soon as the opportunity presented itself. We hopped around for a little while after that, never staying in one place for more than a week. Then Chancellor Mothma announced that Prime would be a safe-haven for those who’d escaped from Imperial occupied planets.” 

“It must’ve been tough.”

“Well like I said, I don’t remember much. I was just a kid. But things got better after my family settled. Mom and dad were able to find work, my sisters stayed home and took care of me, they were actually the ones who taught me how to fight in the first place.” Hux chuckled. “Not that it was much more than street brawling, but it comes in handy.”

“Where are they now?”

“My parents and one of my sisters are still on Prime. The other sister is a pilot for the Republic.”

“Oh. That must be fun.”

“She’s never happy unless she’s flying. What about you, any siblings?”

“Not that I’m aware of, although who knows. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out I’ve got a long lost twin sister somewhere.”

“You are quite mysterious.” Hux whispered, no longer looking at Ben.

“Is that the word they use? I quite like that. Mysterious Senator Amidala has a certain ring to it.”

“You have to admit it’s true.”

“It is that.”

“Do people still question your heritage?”

“Oh undoubtedly. At least once a year I’m forced to talk about the possibility that the DNA tests might’ve been faked. And then there’s the question of my mother’s name and who she was, since all of her records are locked away.” Ben repeated the story, the same story he’d told himself, and countless others, hundreds of times. 

“Who was your mother?” The question seemed to surprise them both. Hux stared at Ben as if he didn’t believe the question had come from his own mouth. “I’m sorry, that was-”

“Tell me Hux, are you a secret reporter?” Ben laughed, hoping to defuse the situation. 

“I’m sorry Senator, that was too far.” His face remained stoic despite Ben’s laughs. 

“It’s fine, I don’t mind. So long as you don’t go selling it to every news outlet in the galaxy.”

“No, just forget I asked please.”

“Hux, it’s fine.” Ben put a hand over Hux’s. “I don’t care.” Ben breathed in and out slowly. “Best they could tell she was born just before my grandmother died, they think that’s what might’ve killed her. They chose to keep her hidden. My grandmother hadn’t been on the friendliest terms with the Emperor towards the end, and her allies, Mon Mothma, Bail Organa; they feared what that might mean for my mother. They hid her away until she was fully grown, that was how she met Leia, Mistress Organa. 

“She actually helped steal the plans for the first Death Star believe it or not. After that she decided fieldwork wasn’t for her and worked more closely with Mon Mothma. She met my father around the time after the second Death Star was destroyed, and she died in childbirth with me. My father died about six months later during an Imperial raid.”

“I’m sorry Ben.”

Ben looked up at Hux, it was easy to switch from a apathetic frown to a smile. “Nothing to be sorry about. Wasn’t your fault.”

“Still.” 

Ben faked his sadness. It felt wrong lying to Hux like this, though he wasn’t sure why. He was just the latest in a long line of faces wasn’t he? The truth was dangerous. All he had to do was look at the way it had upended his mother’s career to know that. 

Even still, there was this gnawing at his stomach. He tried to shake the thought from his head. He and Hux would only be together for a few more weeks, a month at the most. Then they would never have to see one another ever again.

“Are you ready to go again?” Hux asked.

Ben smirked. “Why not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So almost two months! Wow!!!!
> 
> I explained this in my [Harry Potter fic 'With This Ring',"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6438409/chapters/14738503) but in case you haven't read that (and why haven't you? Haha!), life took a pretty wild ride at the beginning of June.
> 
> Basically I had to leave my apartment with little notice, and an opportunity opened up for me to move in with some out of state friends. So I had to pack up everything and move, plus find a new job, learn a new city, get everything set up. But I'm finally back into the groove of things!
> 
> Updates should be getting more regular as time goes on, but I'm still doing training at work, which leads to odd hours. But once I actually 'start' start I'm going to have more time for writing, so yay!!!
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me guys, I appreciate your patience in all of this!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eager to get away from his safehouse, Ben joins his mother for lunch.

Ben’s body ached, muscles he’d never he thought he might have throbbing underneath his heavy robes, his legs sending waves of pain up his back with every step. It’d been almost a decade since he’d trained that hard, and it was almost as if Hux knew it.

“You look tired your Grace.” Castor smiled, folding a shirt and leaving it in a basket to the side. “Did you sleep well?”

“Like a rock.” Ben tired to smile past the pain, taking a seat at the long table that looked out over the lake. “I had a little training with Hux yesterday, and it’s left me a little sore.”

“Training?” Castor couldn’t suppress a chuckle. 

“Yes, something about my blaster potentially being knocked away. Though I’m starting to think it was some newfound method of torture.”

“Do you want me to call for a masseuse your Grace? Or maybe you’d like me to give it a shot?” Castor’s laugh echoed through the high arches of the room.

“Not on your life Castor.” Ben grinned.

“I’ll go get your breakfast heated.” Castor left the laundry behind, disappearing through another set of doors.

Ben rubbed his shoulder when he knew Castor was gone. He’d had to go without the pads today. He’d lasted for about ten seconds when he first put them on, deciding that it wasn’t worth it. Hell, if it’d been up to Ben he would’ve holed up in his room for the next three days, lying about naked with no one to disturb him save for the occasional handmaid delivering food. 

Ben stared at the marks on his knuckles, fresh, pink, the once broken skin healing over thanks to a gel in the medical bay. They still stung though, apparently nothing could stop that. 

“There you go sir.” Castor strolled back in, his steps silent as he set down a plate in front of Ben.

“Thank you Castor.”

“So, I feel like this is the time I’d usually ask if you had anything on the agenda today, but given the current circumstances…” His voice trailed off. 

“I’d thought about visiting Madame Organa, or maybe taking a speeder into the city.”

“Do you think that is wise?”

“Do you?” Ben picked at the white eggs on his plate, his appetite suddenly leaving him. He ate regardless, chewing the slightly rubbery food. 

“I will be with you every step of the way your Grace.”

“So now you want to be obedient?” Ben laughed and nursed a glass of water. “I doubt the Lieutenant would appreciate that plan.”

“Don’t you technically outrank him?”

Ben leaned forward in his chair, the wood creaking slightly underneath him. “I suppose, I never payed that much attention to the ranking system.” 

And as if he’d been summoned, Lieutenant Hux walked into the room, both Ben and Castor focusing in on him. Ben couldn’t help but feel guilty for talking about him behind his back. He looked away, sure his face was as red as a beet. 

“Castor.” Hux bowed, and then looked at Ben. “Senator.”

“Lieutenant.” Ben mumbled. 

His hand slid carefully around the arm of the chair across from Ben. “How are you feeling?” 

“A little sore.” Ben rubbed his arm without realizing. “But I’ll be fine.”

“Training will do that to you.”

Hux was out of his armor again, black tank top covering everything but those arms that Ben couldn’t resist looking at, his hair a little mussed up in the front. “I’m surprised you aren’t armored up.”

Hux’s smile was wide. “I was going to go for a run. No chance you want to join me I suppose?”

“I think I’ll have to pass on this one. But I appreciate the offer.” Ben pulled the glass of water in close with both hands, watching the way it rippled with every move. “I was curious though.” 

“Yes?”

“If you and your men might like to take a ride into Theed, or maybe somewhere else. It’s become rather dull around here.”

Hux’s smile faded in an instant. “I’m not sure that would be a good idea Senator.” He stood up, pushing his chair back under. “For your safety I’d like for you to stay in the safehouse.”

“Then I think I might die of boredom. Surely I can disguise myself, we don’t even have to go into Theed it was just a suggestion, there are plenty of other cities where we could waste an afternoon. Cities most people wouldn’t expect to see me in. Or maybe just a nearby park? Anything to get out of here.”

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea your Grace. It’s my responsibility to keep you safe, and how can I do that when you’re walking around on the street with a target on your back?”

“I’d wear a disguise, I’ve done it before.”

“No. Now please, drop the issue.” 

Not as if Ben had a choice, Hux left the room, the echo of his boots meeting the tiled floors following him. 

“Told you.” Castor was folding another shirt. Ben had completely forgotten he was there. 

Ben shot him a look before glancing back at the doorway Hux had left through. “Remind me to fire you Castor.” He teased, pushing his plate away, his appetite gone entirely. 

“Will do sir.”

Ben tried to think of ways to occupy his time. He retreated back to his room and tried to focus on a few different books, though nothing seemed to hold his attention. And this far out in the country, any signal left on Ben’s tablet was long gone, so reading the newsfeeds was impossible. 

He was stuck. And it was only noon.

He sighed, running a hand through his thick hair and glancing out the window. From here he could see the entrance to the forest path, which Ben assumed followed the length of the lake. Hux was just coming back from his run. Alone. Ben couldn’t help but feel bad for leaving him, but it wasn’t as if he didn’t have half a battalion to ask as well. Then there was a knock on the door. Castor, his saving grace. 

“Madame Organa wishes to have you for lunch your Grace. I’ve prepared a speeder to take you across the lake.”

“You’re a livesaver Castor.”

“I try. Let’s get you into something more comfortable.” The handmaid grinned, helping Ben change into something lighter than the heavy dark robes he’d put on this morning. Ben breathed in the heavy scent of the salt water lake as he climbed into the topless speeder, the wind rushing through his hair as they hovered just feet above the water. At least this had been one thing Hux could agree to, though he didn’t look pleased as far as Ben could tell. He remained silent on the entire ride over, and had apparently chosen to stay behind with the speeder when they pulled into the docking bay. 

“Oh thank you.” Leia wrapped her arms around Ben, careful with all the witnesses around. “I was getting so bored around here. Almost thought about stealing a ship and flying back to Hosnian myself.”

“Can you fly a ship by yourself?” Ben chuckled. 

“Hey, I know my way around. Who do you think flew the Falcon around half the time?”

Ben chuckled, taking the seat beside his mother, finding General Haste stationed just across from them. “So Haste, has Madame Organa been driving you up the wall?”

“On the other hand she’s made things quite interesting.” The General grinned.

“Oh interesting, do tell.” Ben clasped his hands together, resting his chin on top of them. 

“We had a little bet, who could out shoot who.”

Ben gave his mother a quick side glance, though she was already sipping from a tall wine glass. “Do I even need to guess who won?”

Haste shook her head. “Had to give her one hundred credits. She’s a damn fine shot.”

“Years of fighting the Empire will make you one.” Leia grinned, swirling the dark liquid in her glass around. “What about you? You look tired.”

“Just a little sore, I did some training yesterday with Hux.”

“Training? You?” Leia belted out. “How many years has it been since you had to pick up a blaster?”

“Very funny.” Ben sipped his wine. “Hux thought it might prove interesting.”

“And was it?” Leia asked.

“Oh very.” Hux added, strolling into the dining room. His body was hidden now, behind layers of blue armor and black undershirts, his face the only naked piece left of him. “I hadn’t expected him to take to it as he did.”

“Well, color me surprised.” Leia raised an eyebrow as she watched Hux and Haste whisper something to one another. She looked a Ben first, and then back at Hux, shooting Ben a wink, causing Ben to nearly choke on his wine. He rolled his eyes, wiping his mouth. 

“Excuse me your Grace, I need to talk to General Haste about something.” Hux said coldly. 

“Of course.”

Leia’s eyes followed the two soldiers as they left the room, their steps echoing down the hallway. She waited a few more beats before turning back to her son, whispering. “He likes you.”

“He does not.”

“Oh please, the way he looks at you. And tell me you don’t have it bad for him.”

Ben sighed. “I do. Like him that is, not that it matters.” He whirled the wine around again, though he didn’t take another sip. There were maybe three bites of breakfast on his stomach, and there was no telling what more wine might do to him. 

“And why not?”

“He’s a soldier, a lieutenant. Even if he did like me nothing would come of it. Once this is all over he’ll go back to guarding the Chancellor and I’ll go back to the Senate. And we’ll never see one another again.”

“Oh you got it bad kid.” She ruffled his hair, forcing him to duck under her hands. 

“Must you really?” He tried to flatten the curls. “And I do not. He’s sweet and all, but I don’t think anything else is there. He’s quite difficult to work with.” Though Ben knew that was only a half truth. “Part of me think he sees me as a child or something.”

“Well he is a lot older.”

“Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Kid I was eighteen when I met your father, you really think I care about six years?”

“How do you know it’s six years?”

“He’s the same age as Haste.” Leia answered matter of factly. Ben raised an eyebrow, mimicking his mother. “We’ve talked a lot.”

“I’m just not sure how to feel about him. One moment he seems comfortable with me, the next he acts as if I’m a burden he’s been forced to carry.”

“Well technically you are in a way.”

“That’s it?” He tried his best to keep his voice down, peering down the hallway to see if Hux was returning. “No advice or anything? Make him dinner, get him drunk so he’ll tell me some deep dark secret?”

“What can I say? Men are a strange bunch honey. The first time I told your father I loved him, he was seconds from being frozen in Carbonite while Vader stood about ten feet away. And the first time I told him I’d just been shot in the shoulder. It’s not as if I’m some master of romance.”

Ben sighed again, this one longer, deeper. 

“You really want my advice? Talk to him. Face to face, one on one, just the two of you.”

Ben thought. He had seemed more open when it was just the two of them. The games on the ship, the training yesterday. Maybe he was afraid? “Maybe you’re right.” Ben said solemnly. 

“Never thought I’d have to give my son advice on finding a good husband.”

“Husband?” Ben spat. “You act like I’ve got a ring in my pocket that I’m just waiting to give him.

“You have to agree he’d make for good marriage material. Strong, good looking, excellent job.”

“We’ve known each other for a few days.”

“I’m just saying is all, it’s something to think about.”

Ben leaned back, taking another sip of wine. “I can’t believe you sometimes.”

Leia began to pat his shoulder. “Love you too.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get heated.

Hux’s hands moved down the smooth skin of Ben’s back slowly. So slowly that Ben thought he might combust. He needed this. He needed Hux to move quicker. He whined at the touch, at Hux’s lips biting as his neck, moving down to his collarbone before he began to suck on one of Ben’s nipples. 

Ben stifled a moan. The others in the palace couldn’t hear them. They couldn’t find out what they were doing. But then Hux slipped a finger inside Ben. 

“Hux.” Ben whined, drawing out all three letters of his name. 

“Do you like that?”

Ben nodded, trying his best to keep his mouth shut. 

“Oh come on, let me hear you.” Hux purred, his voice deeper than Ben had ever thought it could be. 

“Can’t.” Ben let the words slip.

“Why not? Is it everyone else in the house.”

Ben nodded slowly. He was unraveling quickly. Between Hux’s voice, the feeling of his stubbled jaw against Ben’s skin, the finger moving slowly in and out of his ass. He wouldn’t last long. He couldn’t. Be he _needed_ more. 

“Let them hear you.” Hux growled this time. “Let them know just who’s fucking you. Who’s claiming you as their own, let them know that you are mine.”

Another finger slipped into the tight muscle. This wasn’t a new feeling. Ben had had his fair share of men before, but with Hux it was…

Different. 

“Hux.” Ben whispered, his voice somehow hoarse. “M’ close.” Ben rested his forehead against Hux’s, breathing in the smell of him. 

“Already? You want it that bad?”

Ben nodded.

“Go ahead and come, and then I’m going to fuck you into this bed. Do it Senator.” Hux growled again. “Come for me.”

Ben obeyed. And then he woke up.

Shame filled him as it never had before. Ben shot up in the bed, looking around him. The Naboo night sinking in, the moon the only light in the room. A dream. It’d been a dream. Ben tried to not think about the mess in his pants too hard as he climbed out of the bed and walked into the en suite bathroom. He discarded the nightgown amongst the other dirty laundry, turned on the sink and splashed cool water on his face.

“What is wrong with me?” He asked himself quietly. Ben tried to come up with a dozen excuses to explain the dream. It was the wine from dinner, or the conversation he’d had with his mother. Hux _had_ been the last person he’d seen before he retired for the evening, maybe that had something to do with it.

That had to be it. And he was just pent up. It’d been nearly two months since he’d done anything remotely sexual with anyone. No, not just anyone. With Castor. 

They’d come to an agreement when Ben realized just how difficult it would be for a Senator to hook up casually with anyone. And then Castor offered, and Ben had gladly accepted. Until Castor had requested that they end the pseudo-relationship. And after that Ben hadn’t bothered to seek anyone else, relying on the help of his hand and a few toys discreetly purchased. 

That was what it had to be. That was the answer Ben decided on. He just missed the actual touch of someone. He’d grown too familiar to the feeling of heated plastic inside of him, and his mind was telling him that it missed the real thing. 

That had to be it. Right?

He breathed in slowly, trying to catch his breath. He needed air, he needed to go outside. The fact that it was Hux in the dream had nothing to do with Hux. He just happened to be an attractive man fresh on Ben’s mind. He redressed in a long robe, tying it close to him before he walked out into the cool Naboo night. 

Ben wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t. At least, that was what he kept telling himself. But the churning in his stomach told another story. He wasn’t in love with Hux, he couldn’t be. He hardly knew anything about the man. 

He had red hair, he was a soldier, he could fight, he was stubborn, he was from Hosnian Prime. These were all the things that Ben knew about Hux. Sure he was good looking, and Ben had been more than happy to flirt with him, but that was simply an infatuation, a game he was playing. Ben had seen plenty of good-looking men before, but that didn’t mean he was in love with all of them.

So why did this time feel different?

Maybe his mother was right. Ben laughed to himself, imagining just what Leia would say if he ever told her that.

_”Well of course I’m right! Aren’t I always?”_

“What’s funny?” Asked someone behind Ben.

He froze, not even bothering to turn around, he knew exactly who it was. 

“Nothing.” Ben stammered. “Just thought of something funny.” He lied.

“A joke?” Hux walked closer, the heels of his boots clicking on the stone floor. “Do tell, I love a good joke.”

“You love jokes?” Ben scoffed. “I’m surprised you can even smile, are you sure you’re face won’t crack?”

“Very funny your highness.” Hux’s voice was cold, but as if to defy Ben directly, he spoke with a broad grin. “Still a tad tipsy are we?”

Ben had to steady himself when Hux’s large hand patted him harshly on the shoulder. He hadn’t had that much wine at dinner, but it must’ve been stronger than he’d realized. “No, I’m fine. Just tired.” He rubbed his forehead. “I had a bad dream.”

Not a lie exactly. Ben’s life was quickly becoming a living nightmare. 

“Oh?” Hux turned so that he could sit on the railing of the walkway. “What about?”

“Nothing that would interest you, I assure you.” Ben tried to laugh, but even he could hear how forced it sounded.

“I don’t think you give me enough credit Senator.”

“Since when do you care so much?”

Hux simply shrugged.

“Well like I said, it wouldn’t interest you.” Ben looked up at the stars. Out here, away from the cities and the chaos, you could actually see just how beautiful the skies were. The bright dots against the dark blue waves. The moon a perfect, luminous circle hanging in the middle. 

“The sky is really beautiful tonight.” Hux remarked.

“Yes, yes it is.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, neither of them looking at one another. Ben couldn’t bare it. He couldn’t look at Hux knowing what he’d dreamt about, what he’d been dreaming about just minutes before. He was sure he might combust spontaneously if Hux ever knew about it. 

“Have you ever been in love Senator?”

Ben looked up in shock, still refusing to meet Hux’s gaze. “What?”

“In love. Have you ever been in love with someone?”

“I…” Ben began but trailed off. “No. I haven’t.”

“No one? Ever?”

Another lie. There had been one person who Ben thought he might like to share the rest of his life with. Another boy at the Temple, they’d first met when they were children. He was a young Twi’lek boy, his home destroyed by the Empire. He’d spent years on the run until their defeat and Luke’s revival of the Jedi Temple. They spent every waking hour together, becoming instant friends. 

He’d actually been Ben’s first kiss. He’d been so many firsts to Ben. The first love, the first kiss, the first time he let someone touch him in such a way. The first time he bared his soul to a person. 

And it all ended because Ben couldn’t be a Jedi. He wouldn’t. And the last time a Senator and a Jedi hid an affair, a war broke out. Ben didn't intend to repeat history. So he said goodbye. He still saw Jy’an on occasion, their eyes hardly ever meeting. The last time Ben saw him had been the final nail in their coffin, Jy’an’s hands wrapped around another Jedi boy. 

“No one.” Ben finally answered. “What about you?”

“There have been a few I thought I loved, but no one in particular.”

“Oh really? I’d have thought it’d be easy for you.”

“Oh.” Hux raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

Ben regretted his choice of words almost immediately. “No reason.” But that did nothing to erase the smirk off Hux’s face. 

“There was one boy. I thought he might be the one.”

Ben began to do mental back flips when he heard the word ‘boy’. 

“We were cadets in the army, and relationships with your fellow cadets isn’t anything taken likely. The Republic forbids it, no matter what someone’s gender identity might be. Any relationship is strictly off limits.” Hux took a breath. “Our commanding officer caught us in a supply closet. After that I was shipped off to a different facility.”

“Oh.” Ben wasn’t sure what he was expected to say. “I’m sorry.”

Hux shrugged. “Not your fault. I haven’t seen him in…” Hux had to think. “Almost fourteen years.”

“Not even on assignment or anything?”

“Well there have been times sure, but I haven’t spoken to him since that day we were both dragged out of that closet, chewed out by our officers. We were given a choice as to who would leave. I told them I would.”

“That was brave of you.”

“That’s one word for it.”

“I’m sorry.” Ben repeated, and then waited a beat before he spoke again. “Why are you telling me this?”

“You told me about your family, thought I might owe you one.”

“But you told me about your family as well.” Ben corrected.

“I suppose I did.” Hux patted Ben’s shoulder again. “Guess that means you owe me one.” He grinned.

“I get the feeling that I’m going to regret that.” Ben muttered just loud enough for Hux to hear him.

“Oh no Senator. Not at all.” Hux chuckled lightly. “Come on, you need to go to bed, it’s late.”

“My babysitter now are we?”

“I thought we decided on that a long time ago.”

“My my, you are a jokester.” Ben picked himself up, straightening the creases of his nightgown. “I suppose I will see you at the breakfast table tomorrow?”

“You shall.” Hux bowed slightly. “Goodnight Senator.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben decides to see if he's still good with a sword.

Ben stopped short of the door to the small gym at the bottom of the palace, unable to decide if he really wanted Hux to be there or not. If he was then there was no turning around, no other way for Ben to hide what he was doing there. Then Hux would probably offer to train with him again, not taking a ‘no’ from Ben, and Ben wasn’t sure if he had that in him.

It would’ve just been safer to turn around, go back to his room, read a book or watch a holodrama. But the last few days had been made entirely of those activities, and Ben ached to do something at least a _little_ productive.

Ben took a deep breath through his nose and released it through his mouth before he pressed the large red button on the console. Ben swore it slid open slower than normal, but figured that must’ve just been his mind working against him. The gym was totally empty, though showed signs that it’d been used that morning. Towels in the hamper, weights left out. _Maybe Hux got here early this morning?_

Thankfully Ben hadn’t had any more dreams about Hux since that night, though there was still this incredibly strong sense of guilt that overcame him anytime he so much as glanced at Hux. It almost felt like a betrayal in a way, like Ben had hoisted this fantasy onto Hux without his consent. Of course Ben knew that was a foolish thing to think. He had no control over his dreams, despite what Luke had tried to teach him about Force-visions, he’d never been any good at tricking his mind into showing him things while he slept.

Ben set his towel over the weight bench and eyed the room. So rarely was the gym completely empty, so for once he had the first pick of things. He’d thought about dragging out the training dummies, practicing the hand-to-hand Hux had taught him, but Ben couldn’t figure out how to disable the magnetic lock on the dummies base, and he certainly wasn’t about to call one of his servant down to help him figure it out.

There were weight benches, but Ben knew it was never a good idea to do that by yourself. He used the smaller weights, but that proved to be rather dull after just a handful of sets. Then his eyes settled on another dummy at the end of the gym. It wasn’t like the combat dummies, this was a straight tube of metal, nearly a whole head taller than Ben, witch multiple arms of varying length that swiveled with the center. He’d seen a few of these around the Jedi Temple when he was younger, it’d been Uncle Luke’s preferred way of teaching younglings. 

Ben wondered….

He pressed a hand against the smooth metal surface of the wall, the only place in the room where Ben’s own reflection didn’t stare back at him. The wall pressed in, lifting away and showing off a row of extra equipment that mostly went unused. Ben reached for one of the practice swords.

It’d been nearly a decade since he’d last ignited his lightsaber, felt the cool metal in his hands, the _hiss_ as he ignited it and felt the warmth of the blue blade as it sprang forward. He hadn’t exactly missed being a Jedi, it’d proved to be too much for him in the end. All the training, the discipline, all the stress that came along with being the latest of the Skywalker lineage. 

But one thing he hadn’t missed was his lightsaber.

Ben picked the closest to his old weapon, weighing each in his hand before deciding. There was a feeling to a lightsaber that a normal sword, training or otherwise, could never replicate. The blade was nearly weightless, a looping ring of plasma, but that didn’t mean there was no resistance, you had to maneuver the blade properly to get it to behave the right way. 

Ben kept his grip tight around the hilt of the training-saber, activating the spinning machine. His instincts took over in an instant, the Force guiding him, warning him of everything coming at him. It was almost amazing the way he was able to reawaken this feeling inside him, the voice at the back of his head that told him when danger was near. 

For so long he’d had to rely on others to keep him safe, all under the guise of being an innocent senator from Naboo. Though Ben had proved himself time and time again. He’d seen the recording of his grandmother, known who and what he was following. There had been too many mistakes made by Naboo over the last few decades, firm pacifist stances that led to planet-wide occupations, stances that his grandmother had put an end to. Ben wouldn’t let her work go to waste. 

Ben swung the sword, left, right, then down, blocking a blow to his knees that would’ve sent him to the padded floor. He twirled the practice-blade in his hand before blocking a strike at his face, the machine recoiling and bring around it’s second arm. But Ben was quicker, he brought the blade around, blocking the second strike with just enough time to bring the blade down again, stopping a strike at his chest. 

He jumped over another arm as it came at his feet, ducking another hit to the head. This machine wasn’t as well programmed as the ones at the temple. All of them were designed to replicate a pattern of some kind no matter their make or model, just like all fighters would. Some may be smarter than others, they had quite the memory after all, but eventually, they’d all come back to their usual moves. 

Apparently this machine’s memory was rather poor though, either that or it just wasn’t very good at what it was programmed to do. Ben stepped back, blocking the same blow it’d begun with. Then right again, and then at his knees. Ben huffed, sweat already dripping from his brow. He stepped out of the radius of the machine, watching the arms stop mid-strike. 

“You have backed away,” It began in a monotone voice. “Do you wish to continue?”

“No, shutdown.” Ben answered.

The machine obeyed, it’s lights going dim as the arms froze in place. Ben sighed again, pushing his hair back from his eyes and grabbing his water bottle.

“Impressive.” Came a voice from the other end of the gym. Ben nearly choked on his water, squeezing down on the bottle and earning himself a faceful. 

“What are you-” He sputtered, turning to face Hux. “Don’t do that, you scared the hell out of me.” Ben wiped the corners of his mouth. 

“Excuse me your highness, forgive me.” Hux gave Ben a mock bow, and then went back to leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, every muscle visible thanks to the sleeveless shirt he wore. 

“How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to watch you, I know this machine isn’t _that_ advanced, but you were still very good.”

“I…” Ben thought for a moment. “Thank you.”

“Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“When I was younger, self defense courses were apart of my schooling, but I liked the sword so much I stuck with it, took a few more classes.”

“You were very good.”

“Thank you, but this machine is a tad outdated.” Ben repeated. “And it’s not a very practical skill, not in a galaxy full of lasers and missiles.”

“Unless you’re a Jedi.”

Ben froze. He couldn’t have known, there was no way. “I suppose so.”

“You’ve never met Grand Master Luke have you?”

Ben tried to calm his breathing. “Why would I have?” 

“Well you’re so close to Mistress Leia, I didn’t know if you’d maybe been introduced to him?”

“Sadly no, though she has told me a few stories about him.” 

“He sounds like a good man.”

Ben bit back his first reply, waiting a beat before he opened his mouth again. “I’ve heard he is.”

“Well.” Hux clapped his hands together and strode over to the practice-swords. He stared at each for a few seconds, eyeing them up and down before he wrapped his hand around one and pulled it free.

“What are you doing?” Ben asked.

“You looked like you were completely bored fighting that thing.” Hux nodded to the practice machine. “So let’s see what you’ve got.”

“You want to duel me?”

“In a way. I’ve never been good at fencing, but sword-fighting?” Hux twirled the sword flawlessly in his hand, switching from right to left seamlessly. “I’ve been told I have a knack for it.”

“Show don’t tell Lieutenant.” Ben couldn’t resist a smirk, balancing his own sword in his hand. 

“Come on.” Hux walked over to the training droid, turning it back on and directing it away from where they stood.

“Are you sure your ego can handle being beaten by me?”

Hux smiled. “Show, don’t tell Senator.” He mocked, readying himself. 

Ben took a few seconds to study Hux’s stance. He kept his feet wide, sword high. Given the way he fought hand-to-hand Hux probably preferred broader, stronger swings. Ben would have to be quicker, would shouldn’t be too hard. He readied himself, twirling the practice sword, adding a little something to his stance just to throw Hux off. 

“Your move.” Ben said.

Hux stepped forward, bringing the sword around in high swing. Just like Ben had predicted. Ben stepped away instead of wasting his energy swinging. Hux’s face flashed surprise and then he grinned. “My my.”

“Sloppy.” Ben said. He brought the sword up to Hux’s chest, barely giving the lieutenant enough time to block. The hard plastic of the weapons clashed together, echoing through the room. 

“I thought conversation in a duel was frowned upon.”

“I wasn’t aware that this was a real duel.” Ben brought the sword up again, blocking Hux’s strikes easily. He had plenty of power behind him, but the movements were slow, and Hux telegraphed them far too much in advance for them to mean anything. “Didn’t you say you were good with a sword?”

Hux’s brows narrowed, bringing the sword along again. Ben dunk as Hux swung, able to bring his sword at Hux’s knees, causing the man to tumblr to the mat. Ben straightened, bringing the tip of his sword to Hux’s chest and tapping him lightly. 

“Best two out of three?” Ben pulled the blade back and offered Hux his hand instead. 

Hux grinned from ear to ear. “You’re on.”

Ben took a sip from his water bottle, letting Hux collect himself. Ben noted the change in his stance. His sword was farther out, legs closer together. Apparently he’d noticed that Ben was quicker than he was and was planning compensating for it. _If only he knew he’d already handed me this match._ Ben thought. 

Ben moved first this time, bringing the sword in a quick arc over his head. He made the strike look as heavy as he could, but kept the power behind it small so he could back away, turn on his heel, and bring the sword around again. He managed to get Hux’s sides, careful not to fracture any ribs. Hux huffed, his breath gone as he stepped away from Ben.

“Done already?” Ben asked.

“You got me good.” Hux gripped his waist, and suddenly Ben felt guilty for the strike. Then Hux lunged at him, bringing the sword around to Ben’s legs in the same move Ben had used on him. Ben’s legs came up from underneath him, bringing him down to the mat in a hard fall. 

“Got you.” Hux braced against his practice sword like a cane.

Ben rolled over, pretending he’d been hurt worse than he actually had. Hux dropped his sword and bent over, ready to help Ben up, when Ben brought his sword around, bringing Hux to the floor just as quickly. Ben spun, hopped onto his feet and straightened, bringing the tip to the sword back to Hux’s chest. “Don’t let your guard down Lieutenant.”

“You’re one to talk.” Hux chuckled. He grabbed Ben’s sword, pulling it away and throwing Ben’s balance off. Ben tumbled, trying to catch himself. He landed with a hard thud on top of Hux, his hands on either side of Hux’s head, their faces inches away. 

“Watch out there.” Hux grabbed at Ben’s waist. From this close up he could see the smattering of freckles, the few days worth of stubble, the warm hazel of Hux’s eyes. Hux’s hands moved slowly up Ben’s body. From his waist, to his chest, his neck, his cheeks. 

“Lieutenant?” Ben breathed. 

And then Hux pulled him into a kiss.


End file.
